HEY CHUBBY, IT’S NOT JUST THE DIET BUT WHERE YOU EAT! VOL.1 NO. 51

Dear fellow travelers another pronunciamento has come down from on high. It is been determined that

Ruopeng An – professor of kinesiology and community health

whether one eats at a fast food chain in and out or a full-service restaurant one ingests approximately 200 more calories a day than staying at home for meals. We also consume more fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium than those of us who for prepare our meals at home.

“These are the findings of University of Illinois kinesiology and community health professor Ruopeng An, who analyzed eight years of nationally representative data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which is conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics. Ruopeng An looked at 2003-10 data collected from 18,098 adults living in the U.S.” 2

“His analysis, reported in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, revealed that eating at a restaurant is comparable to – or in some cases less healthful than – eating at a fast-food outlet.” 2 diners at restaurants tend to take in more healthful nutrients -“ including certain vitamins, potassium and omega-3 fatty acids – than those who eat at home or at a fast-food outlet,” 3 the restaurant diners also ingest more sodium and cholesterol; two substances that we usually eat in excess, even at home.

“People who ate at full-service restaurants consumed significantly more cholesterol per day than people who ate at home,” Ruopeng An said. “This extra intake of cholesterol, about 58 milligrams per day, accounts for 20 percent of the recommended upper bound of total cholesterol intake of 300 milligrams per day.”

An’s study also pointed out that diners and fast food chains also took an extra cholesterol, approximately 10 mg more than those who ate at home.

“Fast food and restaurant diners consumed about 10 g/0.35 oz. more total fat, and 3.49 g/ .12 oz. and 2.46 g/.09 oz., respectively, more saturated fat than those who dined at home.” 2

Ruopeng An said, “The American Heart Association recommends limiting the amount of saturated fats one eats to less than 5 to 6 percent of one’s total daily calories. That means that if one needs about 2,000 calories a day, less than 120 calories, or 13 grams, should come from saturated fats.”

“Eating at a fast-food outlet adds about 300 milligrams of sodium to one’s daily intake, and restaurant dining boosts sodium intake by 412 milligrams per day, on average,” Ruopeng An said. The daily recommendations for sodium intake are approximately 1500 and 2300 mg per day. The study found that we consume more than 3100 mg of sodium at home.

“The additional sodium is even more worrisome because the average daily sodium intake among Americans is already so far above the recommended upper limit, posing a significant public health concern, such as hypertension and heart disease,” he said.

Ruopeng An also found a remarkable difference in the effects of dining out on different races, cultures, and groups.

“African-Americans who ate at fast-food and full-service restaurants took in more total fat, saturated fat, sodium and sugar than their Caucasian and Hispanic counterparts who dined out. The effect of fast-food restaurant consumption on daily total energy intake appeared larger among people with lower educational attainment,” (i. e. The Great Booboisie), Ruopeng An said. “And people in the middle-income range had the highest daily intake of total energy, total fat, saturated fat, and sodium when they dined at full-service restaurants.”

Ruopeng An found the very, very chubby obese devoured more calories at fast-food restaurants, and took in more total energy, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium when having a delightful repast at full-service restaurants than their normal weight and marginally chubby overweight cousins.

“These findings reveal that eating at a full-service restaurant is not necessarily healthier than eating at a fast-food outlet,” Ruopeng An said. “In fact, you may be at higher risk of overeating in a full-service restaurant than when eating fast-food. My advice to those hoping to consume a healthy diet and not overeat is that it is healthier to prepare your own foods and to avoid eating outside the home whenever possible.”

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